Adieux Farewell
by Ryeloza
Summary: They all grieve in different ways, but somehow it ends up bringing them closer together. A post-All Hell Breaks Loose fic that fills in missing scenes from season 4.
1. July 18, 2001: Dead

**A/n:** Welcome to my newest multi-chapter project! I've been planning this one for awhile, although I'm not sure how long it will end up being yet. This is not only fic about what happened between "All Hell Breaks Loose" and "Charmed Again," but also a fic that is going to add extra scenes that weren't seen in season 4. I really hope you all enjoy this story.

The title actually comes from something I saw on Wikipedia. I was looking up information on the episode "All Hell Breaks Loose" a few months ago and the French international title for the episode was listed as "Adieux" with the translation "farewell" in parenthesis. This just struck a chord with me for some reason, so I decided to make it the title of this fic. I know that none of this really has anything to do with the story, but I just thought I'd explain for anyone interested.

Thanks for reading!

_Katie_

**Adieux (Farewell)**

A story by:** Ryeloza**

**Part One: July 18, 2001**

**One: Dead**

"What's taking so long?" asked Phoebe. As soon as Cole had left she had begun pacing; the movement was beginning to make Leo feel fairly nauseous.

"I don't know," said Leo.

"I don't think that it should be taking this long," said Phoebe. "You should go up and check on Piper and Prue. See what's going on."

"I'm not leaving you alone down here, Phoebe."

"I'm not alone," she said. "Cole's here."

Leo refrained from comment about how little that guaranteed her safety to him, and instead said, "What if something happened to him Phoebe? If demons swarm this place you're not going to have a chance in hell of getting out of here. If I leave, you're coming with me."

"If the Source does have Cole," said Phoebe stubbornly, "then I'm not leaving him down here to be killed. He'll have to come with us."

"You want to go look for him?" asked Leo incredulously.

"Yes–No! I don't know, Leo! I don't know what to do!"

"We have no way of knowing if the Source reset time or not," said Leo. "The only way we're going to find out is if we go back home."

Phoebe halted, indecision stalling her movement. "I just want everyone to make it through this one alive."

"That's what I want too," said Leo. "But Phoebe, do you really think the Source is going to warn your sisters about what's coming? This is his chance to get rid of the Charmed Ones once and for all. We've got to get out of here."

"I can't just leave Cole alone!" said Phoebe. "And what if the Source didn't reset time yet? What if we go up there and then time resets. You and I won't remember anything either. All of this will just happen all over again!"

Leo opened his mouth to argue, but suddenly there was shouting nearby and the sound of pounding footsteps. Instantly, Leo went to Phoebe, grasping her forearm. He was about to orb out and take Phoebe forcibly, when Cole burst into the cave, throwing an energy ball over his shoulder.

"Cole!" said Phoebe, making a move towards her boyfriend. Leo tightened his grip on her, refusing to let go. Something wasn't right.

"Stay back!" said Cole. "They're coming!"

"Who's coming? Cole, what's going on?"

"It was a trap, Phoebe! As soon as the Source set back time he had me detained so I couldn't warn you. The Source is going to kill you! No one is going to warn your sisters! You've got to get out of here now!"

There was more shouting and Cole threw three more energy balls out of the cave, panting heavily.

"I can't leave you!" said Phoebe.

Cole shook his head and growled, "Leo, get her out of here now!"

Leo didn't need to be told twice. Difficult as it was to orb someone against their will, Leo held on to Phoebe with every ounce of strength he possessed. The next moment they were back in the attic of the manor. "I can't believe you left him!" shouted Phoebe, tearing her arm away. "There were demons right there! He could be killed!"

Leo ignored her, desperately trying to sense Piper and Prue. It was hard, since Phoebe was overwhelming him at the moment, and he shut his eyes to get a better sense. _Piper_, he thought. _Just concentrate on Piper. Her eyes. Her smile..._ There! He could sense her, but it was faint. Much too faint.

"They're downstairs," said Leo, orbing out. The sight that greeted him in the living room was enough to knock the breath out of him. Piper and Prue had been thrown through the wall again, but so had Dr. Griffiths this time, which meant that it had taken Leo much longer to get here. Cole had been right; it was a trap, and Leo and Phoebe had stayed too long in the underworld. Not wasting another second, Leo knelt down between Piper and Prue, extending a hand over each of them. Immediately he could tell that something wasn't right, but he shut his eyes against it, thinking that if he just tried a little harder maybe something would change.

Phoebe's footsteps were thundering down the stairs. The moment she reached the landing, Leo heard her gasp. "Oh my God!" she said. "Oh my God!" A second later Leo sensed her kneel down across from him. "What's taking so long?" she demanded.

Leo didn't respond. He could scarcely breathe. Piper almost seemed to be getting fainter, not stronger and he couldn't even sense Prue. He opened his eyes and looked at Phoebe, who was obviously close to the point of tears. Without saying anything, Leo moved his left hand away from Prue and over Piper, concentrating all of his energy on his wife.

"No," said Phoebe softly. "What are you doing? Prue's not healed yet. Leo!"

Quickly, Phoebe crawled around Prue so she was kneeling closer to her sister's chest. Her hand sought out a pulse, and not feeling any she immediately began CPR. Leo scarcely acknowledged this; he knew in his heart that it was too late, but Phoebe was going to do what she had to do. Leo wasn't going to waste his energy now trying to convince her otherwise.

"Come on, Piper," he whispered. "You can pull through this."

Finally, he felt her growing stronger, her presence overwhelming his senses. He had never been so grateful in his life. "She's going to make it," he said to Phoebe. Phoebe paused and stared at him, wide-eyed.

"_They're_ going to make it," she said. "Both of them."

Leo didn't know what to say. How was he supposed to tell Phoebe that Prue was...dead? How was he going to tell Piper? He swallowed hard, trying to put the thought out of his mind. A minute later, Piper's eyes fluttered open and she put a hand up to her forehead.

"What's going on?" she asked, trying to sit up. "Why were you healing me?"

"Lay still," said Leo.

"Leo!" said Phoebe. "Piper's fine, but you still need to heal Prue!"

"Prue?" said Piper. She forced herself to sit up and looked over at her sisters. Leo made a move to pull her away from what was happening, but Piper crawled closer to Prue before he could, laying a hand on Prue's forehead. "What's wrong with her?" she demanded. "Leo! You've got to heal her!"

"I can't," said Leo quietly. He swallowed, trying desperately to fight the lump in his throat. "Piper, I can't heal the dead."

Piper ignored him, grasping his hands and jerking them over Prue's body. "Heal her!" she ordered. Phoebe looked up at him with huge weepy eyes and Leo felt his own eyes fill with tears.

"I can't," he whispered. "God, Piper, I wish I could."

"No!" said Piper. "I don't believe it!" She turned to Phoebe, seeking assurance, but Phoebe had buried her head in her hands, now crying without abandon. "No!" said Piper. "She can't be! We just have to get her to the hospital."

Piper stood up quickly and immediately swayed on the spot. Without warning she began to tip backwards, and Leo leapt up. He managed to catch her against his body, but his stance was not solid enough to keep his balance and he fell backwards onto the floor.

"Piper!" said Phoebe through thick tears. "I thought you healed her! What's going on?"

"She's really weak right now," said Leo. "And seeing Prue was a shock. I think she fainted."

Phoebe sobbed and leaned down to kiss Prue on the forehead. Leo lifted his hands to try to heal Piper again, but Phoebe stopped him with a shaky, "Wait!" He looked up at her, questioningly. "Don't do it, Leo. She doesn't need to see this. She doesn't need to deal with this until she's physically stronger."

Reluctantly, Leo lowered his hands. What Phoebe said made sense, though he wondered if it would be worse for Piper if she had to go through this when the reality of the situation wasn't right in front of her. Torn, he decided to follow Phoebe's lead, praying that she was correct. He picked Piper up off of the floor and orbed to their bedroom, laying her down carefully on the bed. He kissed her once, softly, and then went back to Phoebe and Prue.

"How is this possible?" asked Phoebe when Leo reentered the room. She had Prue's head cradled in her arms now and was smoothing her sister's hair. "There's always been a catch before. We've always been able to bring each other back. The only reason we reset time was to get Piper back! This wasn't supposed to be the cost! I wasn't supposed to be choosing one of my sisters over the other!"

Leo crouched down next to Phoebe and put an arm around her shoulders, trying his best to comfort her. He knew that it was useless; nothing was going to take away the pain of what had happened. "I'm sorry," said Leo quietly.

Phoebe bowed her head and they remained in silence for several minutes. "What about Dr. Griffiths?" asked Phoebe.

Leo glanced over at the doctor. He hadn't checked on him, but he was certain that the man must be dead. Still, Leo stood and went over to him, examining him more closely. "He's dead too," he said to Phoebe.

Phoebe put a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes. "What are we going to do?" she asked.

"We need to call the police, Phoebe. We need to call Darryl."

"A demon did this, Leo. Darryl can't do anything about that."

"Phoebe," said Leo, "I know that this is beyond difficult, but we have to call Darryl so he can do something about the bodies."

For a moment, Leo thought Phoebe was going to faint too; the color drained from her face and she began breathing heavily. "What do you mean? _We_ have to fix this somehow! No one is taking Prue anywhere!"

Leo took a deep breath. He had no idea how to begin to deal with this. How was he supposed to convince Phoebe that nothing was going to change this? This time wasn't like all the other times. This time Prue wasn't going to get a magical break.

"I'm going to call Darryl," he said finally. Phoebe opened her mouth to protest, but Leo held up a hand. "Just to talk," said Leo. "No one is going to take Prue away yet."

After a moment, Phoebe agreed. "Okay."


	2. July 18, 2001: Professional Detachment

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Charmed_. If I did, this would have been in the show, right?

**A/n: **Thanks for all of the reviews so far! I really appreciate all of them!

_Katie_

**Adieux (Farewell)**

A story by:** Ryeloza**

**Part One: July 18, 2001**

**Two: Professional Detachment**

The moment Darryl heard the phone ring his heart sank. He'd heard of people who were able to sense when something horrible had happened before actually hearing the news: twins; husbands and wives; parents and children. A few years ago he had been reluctant to believe it was true, but since the Halliwells had come into his life he'd experienced it firsthand. Ever since the day Prue had called to tell him Andy had died, Darryl had seemed to have a sixth sense about when they were about to call him and tell him something he didn't want to know. So when the phone rang at 10:58 in the morning that July eighteenth, Darryl knew innately that it was them.

He had no idea, though, that the news would be so dire.

"Morris," he said into the phone, trying to hide the slight sigh in his voice.

"Darryl," said the person on the other line. For a moment, Darryl couldn't place the voice; for a moment, he thought his sixth sense was wrong and it wasn't the Halliwells on the phone. Then he realized Leo was speaking. "Darryl, something happened. Prue..." Leo's voice caught on Prue's name and Darryl felt his stomach lurch.

"What happened?" asked Darryl, impatient for reassurance. "Leo, what happened?"

"Prue's dead," said Leo, barely managing to get the words out. Darryl gripped the phone tightly, unwilling to believe the words.

"What do you mean? She's not... Leo..."

"Darryl, can you just get over here? And please keep it quiet. We need your help."

"I'm on my way," said Darryl. "I'll be there in twenty minutes." He hung up without another word.

When Darryl would look back at this day in the future, he would not remember very much. He couldn't tell you what he had said to his co-workers as he left the department. He couldn't tell you what he was thinking on the drive to the Halliwells. He wouldn't even remember that he nearly ran a red light, driving almost halfway into the intersection before screeching to a halt. One thing he would remember with great clarity was the looks on Phoebe's and Leo's faces when he got to the house.

Leo answered the door with all the marks of someone who was trying extremely hard not to cry. His eyes were glassy with unshed tears and every word he said was marred by the obvious lump in his throat and the hitch in his voice. "I don't know what we're going to do," Leo said as soon as Darryl entered the foyer. "Phoebe doesn't want to let her go."

Reluctantly, Darryl followed Leo down the hall, trying very hard not to gape at the hole in the wall. Leo also seemed to be studiously avoiding this. What was impossible to look away from was the sight of Phoebe Halliwell sobbing over the body of her sister. For a moment, it was as though he had gone back in time. Just a little over two years ago he had been standing in this same room watching Prue cry over Andy's prone body. How much death could one house hold?

"What..." said Darryl, like Leo, willing himself not to cry. He cleared his throat, trying to go into inspector mode; to detach himself. "What happened?"

"A demon," said Leo, so quietly Darryl thought he was trying to prevent Phoebe from hearing. "He threw Piper and Prue through the wall. I didn't get here in time."

"Piper?" asked Darryl immediately. His heart constricted at the thought of losing both of them, but Leo shook his head quickly.

"She's okay," he said. "She's upstairs. But there was also an innocent involved." Leo gestured across the room and Darryl finally noticed the other body. "The demon got him too."

Darryl shut his eyes for a moment. How was he going to explain this? How was he going to get the crime scene people in and out of here without raising a lot of unanswerable questions? What was their story going to be? He turned to Leo, determined to open a dialogue about this immediately, but one look at the other man stopped him in his tracks. Leo, despite his obvious resolve to hold back his emotion, was not examining this clinically as Darryl was. In fact, Darryl doubted that Leo had even called him with the thought of creating a story in his mind. He had just had no idea who else to call. But someone had to be practical, right? Even if every fiber of his being just wanted to sit somewhere and cry at the injustice and pain of it all.

"Where were you and Phoebe when this happened?" asked Darryl. Start simple, he thought. Start with the basic facts.

"The underworld," said Leo. Darryl sighed; he should have known the answer wouldn't be simple. "I can't sense my charges down there. I couldn't sense that they were in trouble."

Darryl ignored the guilty conscious; most family went through that when they lost a loved one in this fashion. Or at least a similar fashion. "Well, we can't tell people that," said Darryl.

"Who cares where we were?" demanded Phoebe. Her voice startled Darryl and he jumped; he'd nearly forgotten she was in the room. "We weren't here! That's all that matters!"

"We need to come up with something to tell people," said Darryl. "Some kind of official statement. And Piper's going to need to be in on it too, because no one is going to understand how she was thrown through that wall and survived without medical attention."

Leo looked at him as if he couldn't comprehend what Darryl meant and Phoebe simply turned away, refusing to acknowledge the situation. So it was entirely up to Darryl. Someplace the girls could have been that no one would be able to verify. The club would have security cameras that they could check. Most indoor places would. So a walk perhaps? The park could work.

"Okay," said Darryl. "We're going to say that you and Phoebe and Piper were on a walk in the park. What time did this happen?"

"I don't know," said Leo. "Phoebe, do you remember what time you guys went to get the doctor this morning?"

Phoebe was quiet for quite awhile, and Darryl thought that perhaps she hadn't heard. Then, softly, she said, "I think we got home around ten fifteen."

Darryl nodded. "So we'll say that you all left to go on a walk in the park around nine thirty this morning. You got home around eleven and as soon as you found Prue you called me. Do you have that, Leo?"

"Walk in the park at nine thirty," Leo parroted. "Got home around eleven and called you."

"Good," said Darryl. "Phoebe?"

"Yeah," said Phoebe curtly. "I got it."

"We'll have to tell Piper too," said Darryl. "Before anyone else gets here." No one responded to this, and Darryl began to wonder just how coherent Piper was. "How did the doctor get here anyway?" he asked.

"We brought him here," said Phoebe. "Prue, Piper and I."

"Where'd you pick him up?"

"The hospital. We got him in the parking lot before he went in for his shift."

"Did anyone see you?" asked Darryl. "Was anyone else there that could place you and Piper?"

Phoebe shrugged. "Yeah, maybe. There was a nurse out there too."

Darryl swore under his breath, but then Leo said, "Don't worry. I'll take care of her."

"What does that mean?" asked Darryl, but then he changed his mind. "Never mind. I don't want to know. So we'll just have you guys say that you didn't know the doctor. You didn't know him, did you? He didn't treat any of you?"

"No," said Phoebe. "He was just an innocent. I had a premonition of him this morning and we went to save him." She looked towards the window and Darryl took a shaky breath. How did something so horrible happen to such good people? All they were doing was trying to save someone's life, and look what it got them. It took a few minutes for Darryl to get his composure back.

"Good," he finally said. "Then there will no connection. People will just have to wonder what the doctor was doing here with Prue. And about who killed them."

"So that's it," said Phoebe theatrically. She finally looked back to Darryl and Leo. "All wrapped up in one neat little package. Hand-delivered to the police. So what? What good does that do us now?"

"Hopefully it's going to keep you out of trouble," said Darryl. "With any luck this will be marked cold quickly and you'll be able to move on with your lives."

"Move on?" asked Phoebe in a strange, detached voice Darryl had never heard. "Like Prue never even existed, right?"

"No, Phoebe," said Darryl. "That's not–"

"How can you be so calm about this, Darryl? Prue's dead! She's dead!" Phoebe began crying again, the sobs loud and wracking. "You stand there like she's just some stranger you didn't even know!"

Darryl let the words wash over him. He was used to grief. He knew this pain, and it was natural to want to blame him. But Darryl also knew that there was no way in hell that he was going to see Phoebe and Piper go down for something they didn't do. Someday, Phoebe would realize this.

"I love Prue," Darryl said simply. Phoebe continued to cry, and Darryl turned to Leo. As much as he wanted to comfort Phoebe, time was of the essence. He couldn't wait much longer to call this in without raising suspicion. "You've got to get Piper up to speed," he told Leo. "She has to know what's going on."

Leo nodded. "Can you stay with Phoebe?" he asked.

"Sure," said Darryl. "But Leo, you need to get this done quickly. I have to call this in."

"Go ahead," said Leo. "Call it. I'll talk to Piper."


	3. July 18, 2001: Stained

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Charmed_.

**A/n: **Thank you for all of the reviews so far! I know that there are a lot of reaction scenes in the beginning of this story, but hopefully they're varied enough to keep everyone interested. Things are definitely take a turn soon, though. I really hope you all continue to enjoy this.

_Katie_

**Adieux (Farewell)**

by** Ryeloza**

**Part One: July 18, 2001**

**Three: Stained**

"Piper?" said Leo. His hand softly stroked her cheek and she would have smiled at the gesture if her head wasn't pounding. As it was, she barely managed to wrench her eyes open.

"Uh," she said groggily. Leo stared down at her with something akin to worry mixed with love and an underlying expression of pain. "What's going on?" she asked. "My head is throbbing." She raised one hand to her forehead.

"You fainted downstairs," said Leo hesitantly. "Do you remember?"

Piper shook her head slowly. "I fainted? Why?"

Leo looked as though he was going to be sick and Piper's heart sped up. What was going on? Why was Leo so… Suddenly, Piper's eyes widened considerably.

"Shax," she said. "Shax threw me through the wall and then you healed me and…and…" Piper sat up abruptly and the room spun. "Prue!" she said as she fought the urge to pass out again.

Leo pulled her into a hug that she would have resisted if she didn't feel so weak. Why wasn't he saying that Prue was fine? Why didn't he tell her that she was remembering things incorrectly? Why was he holding her as though she was going to fade away right in front of him?

"Leo?" said Piper insistently. "What's going on? Where's Prue? Is she okay?"

Slowly, Leo pulled back and looked her in the eyes. Piper felt her stomach clench at the presence of tears in his eyes. "Piper," he said softly, "Prue's gone. We lost her."

Piper gripped Leo's forearms tightly, trying to use him as an anchor. It was no use; the world flipped on its axis, spinning out of control and taking her right along with it. A moment later, Piper leaned over the side of the bed and threw up. "Oh God," she said, immediately beginning to cry. "Oh God. It's not true! Tell me it's not true!"

"I wish I could, Piper. I…I don't—"

"Why didn't you heal her? Why did you let this happen? How did this happen? Where the hell were you? Where was Phoebe? Tell me this isn't real!" Sometime during her line of questioning, Piper had begun to fruitlessly punch at Leo as though that would prompt him to answer her demands. Instead, Leo simply pulled her towards him again, hugging her so tightly she could scarcely breathe. For a moment she resisted, and then relaxed into her husband, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Leo!" she heard Darryl call up the stairs. "Leo, you and Piper better get down here!"

Leo kissed the top of her head and whispered soothing sounds into her hair. Piper was glad that he ignored Darryl; she wasn't going downstairs. Ever. There was no way she could see Prue. There was no way she could walk past that wall. There was no way…

There was no way she could deal with this.

"Leo!" she heard Darryl call again more insistently.

"What is he doing here?" asked Piper, her anger flaring. Why didn't Darryl just the hell up and go away?

"He's here to help," said Leo. Then he added, reluctantly, "Piper, the police are going to be here any minute. When they talk to you, you have to tell them that you were on a walk with me and Phoebe this morning, okay?"

"What?" asked Piper. The request made no sense; nothing made any sense. Darryl called up the stairs again.

"We need to go—"

"No!" said Piper vehemently, pulling away from Leo. "I'm not going down there!"

Thankfully, Leo didn't fight with her. "Okay," he said. "I'm going downstairs just for a couple of minutes. I'll be back." He kissed her temple and then left the room, sneaking glances at her several times on his way out. Alone, Piper buried her face in her hands and began to weep. She'd never felt so sick; so weak; so useless; so helpless. Nothing, nothing, _nothing_ was ever going to be right again. She might as well have died too. Why had Leo healed her? Why hadn't he healed Prue? Why hadn't Phoebe been there with the vanquishing spell? Why had this happened? Why couldn't someone fix it? Why—

Piper shook her head, angry with the questions flying through her mind. She needed a distraction. She couldn't think about this right now. She couldn't deal with the fact that her big sister was…

Abruptly, Piper got off of the bed and stalked down the hall to the bathroom where she got a damp washcloth. On autopilot, she took the washcloth back to her bedroom and began to clean up the puke, rubbing the carpet back and forth, back and forth in a robotic, repetitive fashion. She had to clean the floor; she had to fix it before the carpet was ruined forever. The stain, certainly, was already setting in. Rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub, rub…

"Piper," said Phoebe softly. Piper looked up from the spot on the floor and stared Phoebe, who hovered uncertainly in the doorway. "Piper," said Phoebe again and she stepped into the room. "Oh my God, Piper! What happened to your hands?"

Piper glanced at her hands; the knuckles were cracked and bloody. How long had she been cleaning the carpet? "Piper?" Phoebe prompted again.

"It doesn't hurt," said Piper. And it really didn't; she couldn't feel anything.

Phoebe didn't respond. Instead she walked over to Piper and knelt down, wrapping her arms around her sister. The human contact was enough; without warning every thought and feeling came flooding back and Piper began to cry again.

She had no idea how long she and Phoebe clung to each other on the floor of her bedroom.


	4. July 18, 2001: Optimistic Interlude

**A/n: **This is a very short chapter, mostly meant as a stepping stone from one point to another. Still, I hope you all enjoy it.

Thanks for all of the feedback so far!

_Katie_

**Adieux (Farewell)**

**by Ryeloza**

**Part One: July 18, 2001**

**Four: Optimistic Interlude**

There was no going back now.

Cole finally had a momentary reprieve from barrage of demons that had been on his tail since he first escaped the Source. He stood, stooped, in a small cave with his hand still poised to fire at a moment's notice, though he was fairly certain he'd temporarily lost those trailing him. For the first time since he had set off to find Phoebe—_save her, save her, save her_ the only thought running through his mind—he had a minute to think of something other than who was following him. And the one thought that continued to run through his mind was that there was no going back now.

Life was a series of choices, and so far Cole's had been fairly clear-cut. He was a calculating thinker and thus he analyzed every choice he had to make. But today Cole had finally made a choice without thinking. He had acted instinctively, and he still couldn't quite believe what had happened. Because today he'd made the biggest, most life-changing choice of his entire life.

There was no going back now.

The mantra almost seemed to give him strength. For too long now he'd been in a limbo: running from bounty hunters, pretending to be dead, not quite fitting in with the good guys but no longer pledging loyalty to his own people. He had thought he could strip his powers and suddenly fit seamlessly into Phoebe's world. That had been an obvious miscalculation. He had thought that he could cut Phoebe out of his life and go back to the path he'd been on for over a century, but deep down he'd known that it would never work. Now, suddenly and beautifully, he'd been faced with the choice in clear-cut terms and without a thought he'd made a decision.

Cole felt almost delirious with the exhilaration and terror that came with such a powerful choice. But it was here; it had happened. Never mind that the Source would not stop until he was dead. Never mind that Phoebe's sisters still didn't exactly trust him. Never mind that he was giving up everything he had ever known or thought. He had Phoebe now and nothing was ever going to come between them again.

Cautiously, Cole stepped out from his hiding place to glance around the corner and relief washed through him when he realized no one was there. With an optimism he didn't quite trust, he shimmered from the cave to the mausoleum and then crouched behind one of the tombs. He was almost in the clear, at least temporarily. He was almost back with Phoebe.

And this time it would be forever.

There was no going back now, and never had Cole felt quite so free.


	5. July 18, 2001: Bad News

**Disclaimer: **I obviously don't own _Charmed_. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this.

**Adieux (Farewell)**

a story by** Ryeloza**

**Part One: July 18, 2001**

**Five: Bad News**

Victor liked routine. Every morning he woke up at six o'clock and took a shower. Breakfast was usually toast and coffee or Corn Flakes with cut up bananas and a glass of orange juice. He'd be on the road by seven-fifteen and at work by eight where he'd put in a solid eight hours of work before his commute home. Most nights, he arrived home just in time to put on the five o'clock news and catch up with the larger world while he made his dinner.

For years now, this routine had served him very well. He knew that his daughters thought him to be unpredictable and flighty, but the truth was that Victor had always been a fairly settled person. He'd only lived in three cities in his entire life (in each one following a similar routine to the one he had now) and he counted on the stability his life brought him. That was partly the problem between he and Patty; her life was a whirlwind of chaos and disorder. Perhaps that had drawn him to her, initially, but after years of discord he simply hadn't been able to live that way any longer.

Well, that and the constant danger she put herself in. No person in his right mind could sit back and watch his wife purposely throw herself into the path of danger. And he had been right in the end, hadn't he? Even after all of these years his heart ached for the loss of Patty. She was the only woman he'd ever truly loved. But love just wasn't enough sometimes.

Love wasn't enough to keep him with his daughters when they were young. Back then it had seemed like there were so many reasons to go—he was so young, he was too enveloped by grief from Patty's death, he was too scared of the lives his daughters were supposedly destined to lead, his relationship with Penny was too rocky to subject the girls too—and only one to stay: love. Sometimes he wondered if love _should_ have been enough of a reason for him to stay. He knew that in the end he'd never really be sure if he had done what was best for the girls.

They certainly didn't seem to think so.

Of course, most days Victor didn't dwell on these sorts of things as he stood in the kitchen cooking dinner. And, really, he hadn't been thinking this on that particular day either. Afterwards the thought progression was simply natural and he was inclined to alter his memory. Maybe this was only natural, in retrospect.

Dinner that night was one of those frozen, stir-fry meals that you simply threw in a pan and heated on the stove. Victor wasn't culinary by any means—Piper had _not_ gotten her talent from him—and that night he felt particularly lazy. He was whistling as he poked at the vegetables with a fork, scarcely paying attention to the news because his spirits were so high. In fact, he didn't even have the volume up very loud. Why spoil a good mood with bad news?

Still, habit was habit—routine was routine—and after a minute of merrily frying, Victor glanced at the television. What he saw stopped his heart and for one gut-wrenching moment he thought he might faint. Because Mary Rotundo of channel six was standing outside of his daughters' house looking grave.

Completely forgetting his dinner, Victor lunged at the television and hit the volume button so many times that Mary was soon speaking loudly enough to echo throughout the apartment. "—horrific double homicide—" she announced and Victor felt the room begin to spin violently. Without conscious thought, he crossed the room and grabbed the phone, immediately sinking to the ground. Despite knowing the number backwards and forwards, he couldn't remember the digits, and he misdialed twice before getting it right.

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

Ring…

"Hello?"

Phoebe. It's Phoebe. His baby wasn't gone and Victor felt so overcome with elation that he nearly began to cry. But then he thought of Prue and Piper and his heart constricted once again. He could hardly breathe, let alone speak.

"Hello?" Phoebe said again.

"Phoe…" he managed to choke out.

"Dad? Oh, God, Dad!"

There were a hundred different emotions and tones in Phoebe's voice when she spoke those words to him, but the only one that would haunt Victor for the rest of his life was the one that implied, "Oh, God, I can't believe I forgot to call Dad and tell him."

Shaking, Victor tried desperately to gain control of himself long enough to find out anything important. "What happened? The news…"

The only sound on the other end of the phone was sobbing and in a heart-wrenching moment, Victor truly thought he was going to die right there on the kitchen floor. "Dad…Prue…"

"Prue?"

Prue was the smallest when she was born, just fitting into the crook of his arm. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" Patty had said to him, and all he could do was shake his head because he was so overcome by love for that tiny person.

Prue, who did everything the earliest—her first step, her first word—and who had begged him and Patty for piano lessons at age four. "Four!" they had said in bed that night. "Have you ever heard of such a remarkable little kid?"

In his mind he could see every moment he'd ever had with Prue. Holding her, taking care of her, changing her diapers, playing in the park, cuddling her, reading to her, laughing with her, taking her to school for the first time, dancing with her in the living room, sneaking into her high school graduation to see her get her diploma, watching her protect her sisters, seeing her fight, reveling in her drive and determination… Every single moment and there weren't nearly enough. How…? How could she possibly be…?

"Dad?"

"No…"

"Dad, I'm so sorry we didn't call you. I've been…we've been…I just can't even think straight. Prue's gone. She's gone. How can she be gone?"

Victor's breath was coming too quickly now; he was practically hyperventilating. "Piper?" he gasped out.

"She's a wreck, Dad. She hasn't come out of her room all day. I…I don't know what to do here. What am I supposed to do?"

For a brief moment, relief rushed over him so completely that he nearly doubled over from the abrupt change. Then, too quickly, the devastating grief returned. This moment was the worst of his life and he had absolutely no idea what to say or do.

"How?" he asked. "What happened?"

"It was a demon. It was the Source. And we were too late. We didn't get there in time. Leo just barely managed to save Piper. Dad…"

There was a brief pause and then Phoebe said so quickly that it was nearly unintelligible: "Dad, I have to go. Piper just came in. I'll talk to you again soon. Love you." Before Victor could even respond, she was gone.

Alone, so alone that he wanted to curl into a ball and disappear, Victor laid his head on his knees and wept.


	6. July 18, 2001: Venture into the Night

**Disclaimer: **I do not own _Charmed._

**Adieux (Farewell)**

a story by** Ryeloza**

**Part One: July 18, 2001**

**Six: Venture into the Long Night**

"That was Dad on the phone. I…he…I guess it was on the news. He shouldn't have heard that way. We should have called him. He sounded…I…"

"Where were you?"

"What?"

"Why weren't you in the house? We called for you. You had just run up to the attic, so what happened? Where were you?"

"Piper…it's really complicated."

"Were you in the attic or not?"

"No."

"Then where were you?"

"…The underworld."

"The underworld."

"Yeah. I said it was complicated. It's…Piper, this isn't right."

"Don't! _Nothing_ is ever going to be right again. So just tell me what in the hell you were doing down there."

"It…That time…when I wasn't in the attic…that was the second time the day played out. Remember Tempus? Well he reset time."

"Because?"

"Because we asked him to. God, Piper. The first time we thought we vanquished Shax, but we didn't. And I went down to the underworld to find Cole and while I was down there everything went to hell up here. You and Prue were caught using magic on tape and they played it all over the news. We were exposed! And somehow…I mean, I guess things went absolutely crazy because you were shot!"

Piper stared at Phoebe blankly, and Phoebe wondered if she had even heard what she said.

"You…You died," she added, but still Piper merely stared at her. Hesitantly, Phoebe continued the story. "Leo was down with me because you and Prue sent him to get me. We had tried to get the Source to use Tempus, but he said he only would if I stayed down there. When we found out that you were…Well, I agreed to it. And so Tempus reset time, and that's why I was in the underworld. Leo and I just barely escaped and when we did…"

Glancing into Piper's eyes, Phoebe took a breath to physically prepare herself for the onslaught she was positive she was going to receive. She expected demands. She expected Piper to question why she'd been down there for Cole. She expected Piper to yell and scream and toss blame in Phoebe's direction. Instead, Piper simply turned and left the room.

Phoebe collapsed into a chair and cried.

* * *

Leo had remained downstairs while the police were in the house. He'd never felt such a primal urge to protect someone as he had then; come hell or high water he had been determined to keep Piper away from the scene.

Phoebe managed to hold herself together rather stoically considering the circumstances. She'd answered the investigator's questions curtly and then disappeared upstairs. Thankfully, that was before they'd wheeled the bodies out on Gurneys. Despite his medical training—despite the war—even Leo hadn't been prepared for that sight. As the blood rushed to his head and the room began to spin, it was Darryl's reassuring hand on his shoulder that kept him from falling over.

The police were there for what seemed like hours and the minute they left, Leo had dug out an old sheet to nail over the hole in the wall. Then he'd called all their usual repair places. As utterly useless as he was, the one and only thing he could do was take away the gaping physical reminder of what happened that day.

When he had finished, he'd made soup and took it up to the girls. Piper was unresponsive and Leo felt incredibly reluctant to leave, but the Elders had been calling him for hours. If nothing else, he wanted their advice on how to protect Piper and Phoebe in the coming days; for the first time, they seemed vulnerable—an easy target.

He had been Up There for over six hours now.

There had been a lot of questions. Ones he desperately did not want to answer; ones he didn't even want to contemplate. The interrogation went on for hours with no respite; not cruelly, but authoritatively. Then had come his many questions and his one demand.

"I want time off. I want my other charges reassigned temporarily. I want to be released from being at your beck and call. I want to be able to stay with Piper for as long as I want."

That, of course, had been followed by an extremely long discussion on the Elders part. And here Leo still sat, waiting for their answer, unable to orb back home to check on Piper and Phoebe until the Elders allowed him to go. His anxiety over the sisters—mostly, Piper—clouded any other rational thought he might have had as he lay in wait. Later, his fears would set in more consciously. Later, he would panic. But now, his one thought was getting home and staying home for as long as he wanted.

"Leo."

Leo glanced up at Gideon, whose hand rested heavily on his shoulder. The relief of seeing a friendly face nearly made him burst into tears. "Can I go home?" he asked.

"Yes. For now. We still have a lot to discuss. This isn't over by any means, as I'm sure you know. There's always a formal…" Some look in Leo's eyes stopped Gideon mid-sentence and he sighed. "Your charges are being reassigned for now. Keep an eye on them, Leo. We'll…we'll be in touch."

Leo left without even a parting word.

He orbed straight into the bedroom, fairly certain that Piper's resolution never to leave had remained steadfast as the day progressed to night. In the dim light he squinted, but it wasn't until he approached the bed that he realized that he'd been displaced for the night. Piper and Phoebe were both fast asleep. Phoebe's head rested on Piper's stomach, her right arm flung over Piper's hips. Piper's fingers were laced through Phoebe's hair. Neither woman looked very comfortable nor at peace, but the fact that they were asleep was reassurance enough for Leo. Quietly, he crept out of the room.

* * *

Cole had shimmered to six more cemeteries and waited at least an hour at each before he felt confident enough to return to the manor. Of course, he wasn't assured enough to shimmer there directly, so he'd begun the long walk home with a spring in his step. Despite the long, arduous day, the fact that he was returning to the woman he loved—that he would spend the night in her arms—made him giddy.

He entered through the front door which was unlocked. Most likely Prue had been the last one to bed; even now she only remembered to lock the door half of the time. Perhaps she was even still awake; though the rest of the house was cloaked in black, the kitchen light was still on. With no particular desire to interact with Prue—or anyone but Phoebe for that matter—Cole headed upstairs and opened the door to Phoebe's bedroom without knocking.

"Phoebe?" he whispered to the dark room. When there was no answer he walked closer to the bed only to find it empty. In fact, there was no indication that Phoebe had even been in there tonight. Maybe they had gone to the club to celebrate. Maybe they'd vanquished Shax. Cole chuckled at the thought of the Source's reaction to that. He felt like celebrating too.

He left the room without closing the door and went downstairs to get something to eat. There was always a chance that Piper had some sort of wine or perhaps even champagne that he could sneak up to Phoebe's room. Then when she returned, they could have a private celebration. Whistling, Cole practically bounced into the kitchen. His joy was nearly knocked out of him, however, when he saw Leo sitting at the kitchen table, nursing what looked to be his third beer.

"Oh. Hi."

"Cole! You…You made it!"

"Yeah. Not even a scratch. How about that?"

"Were you followed?" Leo sounded downright panicked.

"What?"

"Were you followed? We can't…there can't be any demons. Not tonight."

"Don't worry about it, Leo. I took care of it. We're in the clear for now."

"Thank God."

Cole raised an eyebrow, got a beer from the fridge and joined Leo at the kitchen table. Ordinarily he couldn't think of anything he'd hate doing more, but he was in a rare good mood. The type of mood that liked company; the type that wanted to spread itself around.

"The girls are out celebrating? Why didn't you go? Rough day?"

Leo looked at him incredulously and for the first time Cole had a good look at him. His eyes were puffy and bloodshot and he looked haggard, like he hadn't slept in days. Like a jolt, Cole suddenly realized that the sisters weren't celebrating.

"What happened? Where's Phoebe? Is she okay?"

"She's upstairs with Piper. They're asleep."

"But—"

"Prue's dead."

Cole set his beer on the table with a "thunk" and stared at Leo. No wonder Leo looked like hell. No wonder Phoebe and Piper were asleep in the same room. No wonder Phoebe hadn't been anxiously awaiting his arrival. Prue was dead.

"We waited too long to orb out," Leo went on. "I barely managed to save Piper. They're…I…I don't know what to do." He rubbed his eyes with the palms of his hands and Cole felt his stomach turn over. Never in his life had he been witness to grief. This display of emotion was so personal that Cole immediately felt uncomfortable. How did one deal with this? What should he say?

Awkwardly, Cole reached out and patted Leo's back a couple of times. The gesture felt wrong, though; like an invasion. With no idea how to proceed, Cole did what he did best.

"The Source will be after them. I'm sure he already knows. He's not going to waste time and allow them to regain their footing. Shax will be back to finish the job."

"I know," said Leo, much to Cole's surprise. Leo didn't seem so practical, especially while displaying such emotion.

"They have to be prepared to protect themselves. There is a vanquishing spell, right?"

"No."

"No?"

"It's a Power of Three spell. So no. Not anymore."

"Then they need to come up with another plan. They need to vanquish Shax. That will throw the Source off. It will give them enough time to regroup and figure out a way to protect themselves."

"They're not…Cole, it was their sister. Piper's barely cohesive and Phoebe's still in shock."

"These are their lives, Leo. They can't sit back and expect the Source to give them time."

"I know. I know that. But it's not going to be black and white for them. Prue's gone."

Cole took a drink and refrained from argument. One way or another, he was going to protect Phoebe from the inevitable onslaught. He couldn't help it if Leo wasn't going to do the same for Piper; there was nothing Cole could do about that.

"We can't do anything about Prue," he said after a moment.

Leo sighed and downed the rest of his beer. Finished, he slammed the bottle down so hard that it shattered and Cole started at the rare display of anger. He'd never seen Leo lose his mellow before.

"Do you even care?"

"What?"

"Do you even care that Prue is dead?"

Cole frowned. "Of course I care. I know what Prue meant to Phoebe. She must be upset."

"But you won't miss her, right? You're indifferent to the fact that she's gone. And it would be the same if it were Piper. They just don't mean anything to you. If Phoebe didn't care about them you'd whisk her away and never speak to them again. Right?"

Every word was true. He didn't particularly care one way or another. He dealt with Phoebe's sisters because Phoebe was devoted to them, and that was the only reason. Of course, he didn't wish them harm, most days. Still, Leo had him down, and Cole felt annoyed that he could be so easily read.

"Okay," said Cole. "Maybe you're right. But turn it around, Leo. You and Piper and Prue, none of you would lift a finger to help me if it weren't for Phoebe. If it weren't for Phoebe, you would have seen me dead months ago. And _that_ is the truth."

For a moment, Leo stared at him and Cole thought he was going to fight the point. Then, to his surprise, Leo said, "You're right."

"Of course I am. This indifference we have isn't one-sided."

"You're not leaving."

Cole started, once again stunned by Leo's words. The person he thought most predictable in the world had bewildered that night him more times than he cared to count. "Of course I'm not leaving. I love Phoebe."

"I know. And that's why we have to change the way things are."

"What do you mean?"

"You're family now, Cole. You proved that today."

"So?"

"So we have to start treating one another like family. We have to look out for each other."

"I have every intention of looking out for Phoebe, if that's what you're insinuating."

"No. I mean the four of us. You, me and the girls. The four of us are in this together, for better or for worse."

"'Til death do us part?" Cole half-heartedly joked.

"I just mean that we have to stick together."

Cole took another sip of his beer while regarding Leo. "You and me against the world," his mother always used to say to him. And it had been until she died. Ever since, it had been Cole against the world. No real friends, too many enemies to count. His whole life had been about clawing his way to the top, no matter what it took.

But now he had Phoebe. Now, according to Leo, he had a family. A real, strange, dysfunctional family.

"Yeah," he said. "We have to stick together."

* * *

**A/n: **And so ends part one. Thank you all for the great reviews. I'm glad that you all are enjoying the story so far. Hopefully, as I hope the end of this chapter shows, the story will start moving a little faster now. I just felt like the reactions to Prue's death deserved to be the focus of the beginning of this piece, since we didn't see any of the initial reactions on the show.

Anyway, I'd love to hear what you think. Thanks so much for the encouragement.

-_Katie_

* * *


	7. Dreams: At Which We Weep

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Charmed. _

**Adieux (Farewell)**

a story by** Ryeloza**

**Part Two: Dreams**

**One: At Which We Weep**

Phoebe woke with a start and blinked her eyes several times in the harsh morning sunlight. Her mind spun, disoriented both by the unusual surroundings and by the feeling that she had been in the middle of a dream. Vaguely, she could remember the smell of pine and dark, murky water, but whatever she had dreamed was rapidly fading away.

Giving up the dream as lost, Phoebe rolled onto her side so she had a clearer view of Piper. Her older sister stood by the window with her arms crossed; Phoebe was fairly sure Piper wasn't really looking at anything outside. "Did you get any sleep?" she asked.

"Not really. A little."

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing. I just got restless lying in bed."

Phoebe stared at Piper, willing her to turn around. She didn't. "Why didn't you just go downstairs?" she asked.

"I told you. I'm not going downstairs."

"Piper…"

"I don't really want to talk right now."

Sighing, Phoebe turned onto her back again and rubbed her eyes wearily. Piper hadn't wanted to talk the night before either. After she'd stormed out of Phoebe's room, Phoebe had had a long, devastating cry. Piper might not have said the words to her face, but Phoebe knew that she blamed her for Prue's death. Phoebe couldn't help but feel similarly; she had been the one to deter Leo. She had been the one who didn't want to leave. Maybe if she had just listened…

Phoebe shook the now familiar thought away. After her tears, after dwelling on her guilt, she had finally walked down the hall to Piper's room with every intention to beg forgiveness. When she opened the door she found Piper lying in bed with her knees tucked to her chest. "Piper," she'd said.

"I don't want to talk, Phoebe."

For a moment, Phoebe felt as though she'd lost both of her sisters. Then, just as she turned to go, Piper said, "Please don't leave."

Those three words brought such relief that Phoebe began to cry again. That time, though, she wasn't alone.

This morning, the ocean between her and Piper felt nearly as wide as the night before. Phoebe wanted to talk. She needed to talk. Crying together in the dark had helped, but that wouldn't heal. Glancing back at her sister, she couldn't help but think that Piper wouldn't agree right now.

"You can't stay up here forever."

"I said I don't want to talk. Just leave me alone, Phoebe."

"Piper, we have to—"

Piper turned around, finally, and Phoebe could see fresh tears on her cheeks. "God, Phoebe! How many times do I have to say it? Why don't you just get the hell out of here?"

Wordless, Phoebe climbed off of the bed and left the room. Piper had never spoken to her that way. Never. For a moment, Phoebe nearly burst into tears. The feeling quickly faded to anger and she turned to storm back into the room and to start a fight. She wanted to vent her feelings: to tell Piper that she wasn't the only one who had lost Prue; to scream that Piper couldn't remain a recluse for the rest of her life; to shake Piper until she understood that life wasn't really over, it just felt like it was. Just as she began to turn the doorknob, though, she shook against her will, overtaken by a premonition.

She was in the living room of the manor, three years ago, about to leave home for the first time. She heard Piper ask her and Prue to stay and Prue said she had a date. Then she heard herself announce that she was leaving home. In what seemed to be fast-motion, she and Prue were gone and Piper was alone, crying.

In a flash, Phoebe was back in the hallway, facing Piper's bedroom door. She let go of the doorknob and took a deep breath. Three years ago, she'd left Piper alone to deal with her grief. Three years ago, she'd left it to her sisters to plan Grams' funeral and take care of every sordid detail. Now, in the face of this heartbreaking tragedy, she suddenly realized that she had to be the strong one this time. Now, she had to be the realist. Now was the time for her to atone for her past mistakes, no matter how much she hurt.

With her mind made up, Phoebe headed downstairs. She walked with her eyes steadfastly forward to avoid seeing that _place_ and went straight to the kitchen. Neither she nor Piper had eaten since yesterday morning and they needed the energy. Piper would eat today even if Phoebe had to shove the food down her throat.

Consumed by her determination to remain practical, Phoebe didn't catch the smell of breakfast in the air until she walked right into the kitchen. For a moment, she stood, speechless. There were eggshells on the counter, a plate piled high with burned toast, flour everywhere and in the middle of everything, wearing one of Piper's aprons, was Cole. Every notion of practicality fled Phoebe's mind and she burst into tears.

Cole turned around with a start and stared at her wide-eyed. Most of what he made seemed to be splattered on him, but Phoebe didn't care. When he opened his arms she went right into them, pressing her cheek into what felt like a mixture of flour and egg yolk.

"Shh," said Cole. He threaded a hand into her hair and rubbed her back with the other. "Shh."

"I'm so glad you're okay," Phoebe choked out. "Cole…"

Cole kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry about Prue."

At this, Phoebe began to sob so hard that she was unable to speak for several minutes. She felt overwhelmed: grief, relief, anger, gratefulness, love. Each emotion coursed through her at once until she felt she would burst from feeling so much. All the while, Cole simply held her and she knew then that she would never love another man as much as she loved Cole in that moment.

When she finally pulled away from Cole she felt a little bit better. She even managed to laugh a little when Cole handed her a paper towel to blow her nose with.

"You made breakfast," she said as she dabbed her eyes with the paper towel.

"Yeah…well, I tried to. I think I mostly just made a mess."

"That's okay. It looks…"

"Disgusting?"

"…Well, the pancakes look okay."

"I'm not much of a cook."

"That's okay. There are more important things." Phoebe gave him a small smile and picked up one of the pancakes. Without bothering to find a plate, she began to eat. The pancake had no taste and felt thick and hard as she swallowed, but she couldn't tell if it was a result of Cole's cooking or the ever-present knot of nausea she'd felt since yesterday. Either way, she continued to force down the food.

"Where's Leo?" she asked.

"Oh…Well, he went out."

"Where?"

"Um…To get some lumber and stuff. He's going to fix the hole in the wall."

"Oh."

She could feel Cole's eyes on her, but she kept her eyes on the ground. The pancake suddenly seemed absolutely inedible, and she tossed it into the trash.

"Is Piper coming down?" She could tell that he meant to change the subject, but at the mention of Piper, Phoebe simply felt even more weighed down. How was she going to plan the whole funeral alone? Could she really have been so naïve as to think she could, just fifteen minutes ago?

"No."

"Is she…? I mean, Leo said…"

Phoebe sighed. "How am I going to plan this whole funeral on my own, Cole? I don't even know where to start. I…I don't think I can do this on my own."

"Well, I know it's not much, but you have me."

Phoebe finally looked back at Cole again. She was somewhat surprised to find him still looking directly at her, despite knowing how bold, how sincere, Cole was. "I know," she said quietly. "And that's everything right now."


	8. Dreams: The Murky Water

**Disclaimer: **I don't own _Charmed_.

**Adieux (Farewell)**

a story by** Ryeloza**

**Part Two: Dreams**

**Two: The Murky Water**

Phoebe and Cole left the mess from breakfast and sat at the kitchen table for the rest of the morning while Phoebe made various horrific phone calls to tell people about Prue. The whole time, Cole held her hand, a constant comfort that gave her the strength to complete her task. By the time Phoebe finished, Leo had returned home.

He came into the kitchen, noticed Phoebe and Cole first and then the disastrous breakfast attempt and said, "Piper still won't come downstairs?"

"No. I don't know what to do, Leo. She won't say more than five words to me."

Leo glanced up at the ceiling. "I'll talk to her."

"Leo…" said Cole. He raised an eyebrow as if indicating something, but Leo shrugged the notion off.

"I'll be back in a few minutes."

He left the kitchen and Phoebe drummed her fingers against the table. "What's up with you two?" she asked after the moment.

"Who?"

"You and Leo. You were doing some silent communication thing there. What's going on?"

Cole's eyes flittered from one point in the room to another and he tapped his foot, as though he and Leo were keeping some huge secret. For the life of her, Phoebe didn't have the faintest notion of what that secret might be. Then, as though decided, Cole finally looked her in the eye and said the last words she wanted to hear: "I have to leave."

"What?"

"I have to leave. I betrayed the Source. There are going to be demonic bounty hunters searching for me. I can't stay here."

"Yes you can. You'll be safe here. Cole, you can't leave!"

"I don't want to leave. I have to leave." Cole clasped her hands more tightly, as though imploring her to understand. "I'll be back, Phoebe. I promise."

Phoebe pulled her hands away, angry. "Who cares about bounty hunters? I can handle them. What I can't handle is being alone right now! Please, Cole."

"Damn it, Phoebe!" Cole stood up and paced to the island and back, breathing heavily. He seemed to be forcing himself to stay patient, but she could tell that he really wanted to shake sense into her. "I know that you don't want to hear this right now, but you and Piper are really vulnerable. I'm not going to stay here and make you even more vulnerable."

"Two hours ago you told me I wouldn't have to do this on my own."

"You won't. I'll be back. As soon as I can."

Phoebe shrugged. "Fine. Go."

Cole looked at her, obviously weighing whether or not to try to appease her anger before leaving. He seemed to realize that she wasn't going to let this go anytime soon, and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "I love you."

Phoebe nodded, unable to speak because of the lump in her throat. Then Cole walked out the back door. Before she could let go and cry again—or punch something, she wasn't sure which—Leo came back into the kitchen.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Either he had overheard part of their conversation, or he had known exactly what Cole was going to say. Phoebe had a strange suspicion that it was the latter.

"No, but I don't want to talk about it. What's going on with Piper?"

Leo ran a hand through his hair, a sure sign that he was frustrated. "She's a wreck. I don't even know if she heard anything I said. Does she…has she asked you anything yet?"

"I told her everything yesterday, but she didn't say anything. I have no idea what she's thinking." That, of course, was a lie. Phoebe was positive that Piper blamed her for everything; she simply couldn't admit that to Leo. She wasn't strong enough to hear him agree and she wasn't deserving of any negation of blame. Silence seemed the best course of action.

"We have to get her to eat something," said Leo. "And for that matter, have you eaten yet?"

Phoebe nodded. It was sort-of true. "I'll get Piper something. Why don't you get started on…well… I mean, I don't think Piper will come downstairs until it's fixed. And honestly, I don't want to look at it either."

"Okay."

Not a cook in even the most general sense of the word, Phoebe poured Piper a bowl of Raisin Bran, grabbed a bottle of water and headed upstairs. She kept her eyes forward the entire time, scarcely acknowledging the tarps Leo was laying out on the floor. When she got to Piper's room she didn't even bother knocking and simply barged in.

Since she had left hours earlier, Piper had simply moved from the window back to the bed. She had the comforter pulled up to her chin, as she lay curled in a ball on her side. "Go away," she said as Phoebe closed the door.

"No." Phoebe crossed the room and sat down on the bed, setting the bottle and the bowl on Piper's nightstand.

"I don't want that."

"And I don't care. I'm going to sit here until you eat every last bite. The longer you wait the soggier it's going to get, so I suggest you sit up and get started."

"No."

"Alright then," said Phoebe. She crawled over Piper and settled onto the other side of the bed. For a minute she sat whistling as obnoxiously as she could. When that had no result, she began to speak chattily. "Cole was here. He made breakfast and it was pretty much completely inedible. And he got food all over the kitchen. It's on the floor, the cupboards, the counters. Bowls everywhere. The stove is disgusting. And we didn't clean any of it up yet. I just didn't feel like it, and since you're never coming downstairs again, I guess that you don't care. I think he may have broken your food processor too. Oh, and reorganized the refrig—"

Piper sat up violently and glared at Phoebe. For a second, Phoebe thought Piper might try to blow her up. For a second, she actually believed that Piper might go downstairs and see if Phoebe was telling the truth. Then the second passed.

"You'll go if I eat?"

Trying to stay positive about this small conquest, Phoebe nodded. Piper picked up the cereal and began to eat.

* * *

Phoebe had truly intended to leave as soon as Piper finished, but despite her determination to get rid of Phoebe, Piper hadn't been able to eat as quickly as she wanted to. Between the deafening silence and the comfortable bed, Phoebe was lulled to sleep.

Almost immediately, she found herself in the same dream which had eluded her upon waking earlier. She was in the car with Grams, squirming because the drive was taking so long. The car smelled funny and a baby was in the back seat, crying. Worst of all, Grams wasn't saying anything so there was nothing to distract her. When she looked out of the window, she couldn't see anything.

After what seemed liked hours, Grams finally pulled up a dirt road and Phoebe realized excitedly that they were at camp. Phoebe began to bounce up and down. Mom had said that she couldn't go to camp this summer but here she was. Suddenly she didn't even mind that she'd had to stay home from school sick today.

Grams opened all of the windows and then leaned her head back in. "Stay here," she said, and Phoebe knew that she meant business. Thankfully the baby had fallen asleep and was finally quiet.

For awhile, she sat still—or relatively so—and tried very hard not to look out the windows and see everything that she was missing. But then the car started to get warm in the sun and she really needed to go to the bathroom, and would it really be so bad if she just got out of the car for a couple of minutes?

Glancing back at the sleeping baby one more time, Phoebe opened the door and left the car. Looking around, she realized that she couldn't remember where the nearest bathroom was, but down at the dock there were a lot of people. Surely one of them would know where the bathroom was.

She headed down the hill and suddenly everything around her seemed to be going in slow motion. She no longer needed to go to the bathroom; she simply had to reach the end of the dock. There was something there. Something she had to see. As she approached, the men ignored her or didn't see her and she simply walked forward.

There, on the pier, was her mother. She was soaking wet and her eyes were shut and she wasn't breathing. Phoebe wasn't surprised. Somehow this was all familiar to her. She moved forward, even more slowly, and stepped around her mother's body so that she was standing on the very edge of the pier. Glancing down into the water, Phoebe could see her reflection. But she wasn't herself. She was Prue.

She gasped and fell forward, into the murky water. Her arms and legs were heavy and she could move, couldn't swim, couldn't reach the surface. She began to choke on the water and just as it began to flood into her lungs—

"Girls!"

Phoebe jolted awake, gasping for breath. After a moment she realized that she was safe in Piper's bed and someone was knocking on the door.


End file.
